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Bahrain medics return to court

Bahraini Shiite men chant anti-government slogans in the Shiite town of Sitra on March 18.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The case is one of two involving 24 doctors and 23 nurses and paramedics

Prosecutors allege the accused refused to help patients

Human Rights groups have said Bahrain is targeting medical professionals for treating protesters

Abu Dhabi, Uae (CNN) -- More than two dozen medics accused of misdemeanors returned to court in Bahrain on Monday.

The case is one of two involving 24 doctors and 23 nurses and paramedics who are accused of working against the kingdom's government during large protests earlier this year.

Prosecutors allege the accused refused to help patients at Salmaniya Medical Complex, the main hospital in Manama. Charges also include deadly assault, storing and funneling weapons to protesters, and effectively holding people hostage, according to Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority.

Human Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights, have said they believe Bahrain is actively targeting medical professionals for treating protesters at Salmaniya, which was taken over by security forces during the protest.

The court hearing Monday lasted for about 30 minutes. A lawyer for the medics, accused of misdemeanors, told the judge he wanted to hear testimony from witnesses who were supposed to testify against the medics, according to a family member of one of the accused.

The judge said that he would not allow for the witnesses to testify as they testified earlier this month in the other case involving medics accused of more serious crimes.

During that previous court hearing, seven witnesses were called by the defense, according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency. One witnesses claimed that medics gave protesters blood bags to splash on themselves and distributed knives to protesters using an ambulance, BNA said. That court hearing is scheduled to resume June 30 with additional witness testimony.